March Along: Week 3 Summary

http://scientificquilter.com/2014/03/23/34-7-march-a-long-2014-week-3-report-in/

 I am reporting in for my 3rd week of the Scientific Quilter's March Along (craft every day for 15 minutes). Not such a great week for crafting. It was just a really busy week and when I was not busy I was exhausted. The 2 things I completed have been on my to-do list for a while.  The first were 8-10 more fabric Personal Progress folders for the incoming Beehives at church (which I forgot to photograph before I delivered them today). I have been working on them since December I think. January at the latest. I had them about halfway done a while ago and kept putting off finishing them. I had to finish the majority of them before April because that was when they are going to be presented.

The towels I had purchased in February to applique as Valentine gifts for the ladies I Visit Teach. Well, that didn't happen, so I found some other fabric in my stash and did a Monogram instead. They turned out cute. I just wish I had thought to get one to make for myself! :)

Week 3 
Day 15 No craft time
Day 16 Read the Sewing with Oilcloth book
Day 17 No craft time
Day 18 No craft time
Day 19 Made appliqué Kitchen Towels

Day 20 Seriously No craft time
Day 21 Finished the PP Fabric folders (tutorial from ohbabyredding.com)

Wedding Gift

We have a wedding reception to attend this week and I asked my husband what we should give the young couple.
 Options were:
 A: Our usual game night package, which is a large plastic bowl, 4 small plastic bowls, 4 plastic cups, a game (usually Rack-O), a box of microwave popcorn and a tub of KoolAid mix.
  OR
B: A set of Stay Put Kitchen Towels. I was torn because I know this family is super into playing games as a family. But my husband picked the towels. So darn it! I had to shop for fabric ;) LOL

Honestly, we only know the parents, not either of the newlyweds. Their registry was no help with colors at all. So I got  fabrics that I thought would be fun cheerful kitchen accessories.(I think I am actually going to stock up on these fabrics and make some sets of 2 towels and 2 hot pads for future gifts, because I LOVE them! Especially that Marigold polka-dot. It is a really awesome yellow in person.)

I am also making a little card with a "how to use" tutorial.  Mostly because everyone I have given these to were puzzled about what they were and how to use them at first.

Here are the towels before ribbons were added. (They lay much better without the ribbons for photos.)

Stay Put Kitchen Towel (A "how to use" tutorial)

With smaller fabric strip on top,
tie the two ribbons on one side of the towel around the handle of the oven.

Then tie the two ribbons on the other side of the towel around the handle of the oven.

The smaller strip of fabric should be in the back. These towels can be used in bathrooms as well.

 

March Along: Week 1

 

 Darla at The Scientific Quilter is doing her March A-long again this year. I missed it last year, but decided to join in this year. I think it will help with my UFO goals. Basically you commit to sew or do something sewing related for 15 minutes every day. Pretty awesome!

The first week went well. I only missed Saturday, but I kind of made up for it I think, since I got in a couple of hour+ blocks of time during the week.
One thing specifically it has helped with was un-sewing the baby quilt. I started quilting it, got 2/3 finished and checked the back and found pleats. I couldn't leave it and the whole thing would have to be picked out. That was a daunting and discouraging task, but I am a fan of the theory that one can accomplish hard things if  you just do it in15 minute increments. Since the baby is here already, that deadline is past. Now I would just like to get it done before he moves from bassinet to crib.

I made a calendar to keep track of my sewing.

Projects worked on this week:

St. Patrick's Day Stay Put Kitchen Towel

Stay Put Kitchen Towel Tutorial

I made towels for my friend and the ladies I visit teach. I have a couple more to make. Better hurry  up!

Diaper Clutch

Diaper Clutch Tutorial

Diaper clutch and matching burp cloth

 I made the clutch and burp cloth with a dishtowel from Target that was on clearance and a fat quarter. I was hoarding the towel to make an apron. I got home from fabric buying and then I didn't care for the other fat quarter I chose to go with the pink check. Looking through my stash I spotted the towel and it looked so nice with the liner fabric that I went with it. The clutch turned out quite large. I am not sure why. I have made these before and never had any size issues. Maybe my seam allowance was smaller. She will be able to get lots of diapers in there! :)


 

Work In Progress Wednesday: April 25 2012

 It's Wednesday and I actually have a tiny bit of progress to share for Work In Progress Wednesday.  I am linking up at Lee's.

 First were towels for a birthday gift that were late, thanks to my klutziness with my sewing machine. Her favorite color is red and her blog name has banana in it, thus the banana fabric. :) I had to squeeze out the top piece on the gingham towel as I had barely enough fabric. The ribbon just fit through. It seems my red stash is sorely lacking.
I have one single towel un-decorated left in my stash. I may make it up for a gal here who is moving into a new house as a little housewarming gift. Also,  here is a little tip for these towels that my sister shared with me. Her oven does not have a handle that works with these, so she put them in her kid's bathroom so the towels stay on the rack in there too! Brilliant! :)

 


Then I cut binding strips for the 3 quilts I have quilted. This is really my WIP stuff. And UFO stuff.  I might even get them sewn and pressed by next Wednesday. Wouldn't that be something!




Next was another late project for the special edition of Friday Night Sew In. I was sure I had plenty of coordinating yardage to make several pillowcases. Nope. I just had enough for one. But one is better than none. ;)

 

And last was a project that was on my to-do list for a while. That became very obvious when I found the document I created from the blog post in several places on my computer. I have seen the cute drawstring bags on several blogs. The tutorial is at the blog "In Color Order", authored by Jeni.
Last week Susan at the History Quilter posted that she is making some for her boys so they have been on my brain. I had planned yesterday to be a sewing day and had intended to catch up on Sewing 101 lessons (which was also delayed by my klutziness) and also get my fabric out for the bag we are making. But the next lesson needed a printout (no toner in the printer) and the yardage I had intended to use for the bag, that I bought ages ago when it was being cleared out of my LQS, was in half yard cuts. Not going to work. I tried to fit the pattern and it was a no go. And I had nothing else in my stash big enough.  So Sewing 101 got put on hiatus. (Bummer.)

So I went into action with plan B. I grabbed some fat quarters, let my daughter pick a couple and made her a bag to carry her "stuff" in. It was fast and fun. The only thing that bugged me a bit, was that I would have liked to have known earlier in the tutorial that cutting 2 pieces for the exterior was not absolutely necessary. It was mentioned after the cutting instructions had been given, when she is telling you how to join up the 2 pieces for the exterior. That is a great asterisk point to put in the cutting instructions. YEP.

 Anyway... Littlest Miss likes her bag and has filled it with hot wheels and puzzle pieces and plastic jewelry.

Pay It Forward Handmade finishes.

Over the last few months I have been working on my Pay It Forward Handmade gifts. I have talked about all of them here on the blog as I completed them, but never said what they were for really.
I sent 2 Stay Put  Kitchen Towels, 1 Strippy Charm Pouch, 1 stationary holder, with 4 cards and envelopes, and 2 Kara Chocolates Mint Truffles (I did not make these) :).

There is a  Flickr group for Pay It Forward Handmade where you can see other items that have been sent out if you are interested. It was fun making these for the ladies who signed up with me and I hope they enjoy them!

Fun stuff for a friend

I left a good friend back in Texas whom I had planned on making place mats with ('cause I know she can do it!!!) and I even had the fabric purchased for her test place mat. Well, things happened and I never got to make them with her. :( 
BUT a few weeks ago she posted a comment that she liked the Stay Put Kitchen towels (I am kind of tired of posting that phrase btw. I have made A LOT of them)  so since I had enough fabric that was purchased to go in her kitchen, I made her a place mat and towel to match. She has an apple theme in her kitchen, thus the red and green.
She got them in the mail today so I can finally post pictures.

I used the tutorial here for the patchwork place mat. I did not use batting or fleece as she suggested, just lined both front and back with interfacing. And I cut and sewed 17 pieces for the strip of patchwork and only used 13.

And below are the towels I made for my mom and sisters, along with 3 from the big batch I did a while back. They are also finished and off in the mail somewhere along with some very cool birthday gifts my friend made for me to give them. But I will post those another day, after the recipients have seen them.

Tutorial for Stay Put Kitchen Towels: http://pin-sew-press.blogspot.com/2010/05/tutorial-stay-put-kitchen-towel.html

I still have 5 empty towels left in my stash and 2 (at least) are getting made tonight. I think when I finish this stack I am DONE with these great towels, at least until mine look like garbage. :)

WIP Wednesday

I have been busy finishing up a stack of Stay Put Kitchen Towels and I just have 2 left to put ribbons on.
2 of them are for a birthday gift today. These are a great way to use up larger scraps. I don't put the 3rd strip of fabric on since the bar-mops I use are relatively small and the cotton is not terribly absorbent. It leaves plenty of drying room and they look fine with just one line of cute fabric showing.

Ribbon-less Stay Put Kitchen Towels

I also made one of these sweet little fabric heart bookmarks that Karen showed how to make on her blog, Sew Many Ways. The are pretty easy and it is a cool little project. I need some practice on the curves and I think I might add some interfacing if I make these again, but I think it made a cute addition to the birthday gift.

The front of the bookmark.

The back of the bookmark.

I will be putting some more time in on my table topper as soon as the towels are done, as well as a few small items that I need to make for gifts.

 I will leave my sum-up for next week.

Visit Lee at Freshly Pieced for more Works In Progress!

Here is the content of the text post that never made it. My best guess is that it was too big. I ended up emailing the photos to myself from my phone, then uploading them.

WIP Wed.

Stay Put Kitchen Towels

Baby quilt - waiting for quilting.

Table Topper